Omnidirectional Delivery Robot Control for Grooves and Steps

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automatic moving devices face challenges in effectively navigating obstacles such as grooves and steps on the road surface, leading to potential derailments and inefficient passage.

Innovation Solution

The automatic moving device is equipped with a detection system that adjusts its direction to be oblique with respect to grooves and orthogonal to steps, utilizing mecanum wheels and a control section to manage torque modes and vehicle body orientation for secure passage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the automatic moving device travels straight toward detected obstacles, then the control logic is simple, but the device cannot appropriately handle different obstacle types (grooves vs. steps)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to handle different obstacle typesVSAvoidcontrol logic complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using a single universal approach for all obstacles, the patent inverts the strategy by using different traversal directions for different obstacle types: oblique direction for grooves and orthogonal direction for steps. This inverted thinking allows the simple mecanum wheel mechanism to adapt to various obstacles without complex control logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by adjusting the traversal direction based on the specific obstacle type detected. The control section determines the obstacle type (groove or step) and locally adapts the movement direction accordingly, rather than using a global fixed approach for all obstacles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the device uses mecanum wheels for omnidirectional movement, then the device can traverse obstacles effectively, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveomnidirectional movement capabilityVSAvoidwheel mechanism complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs mecanum wheels that provide universal omnidirectional movement capability, allowing the device to approach and traverse different obstacle types (grooves and steps) from various angles. This multi-functional wheel design enables the device to execute both oblique and orthogonal traversal modes without requiring separate mechanisms for each direction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the device detects and responds to all road surface unevenness, then the reliability of article delivery improves, but the detection and response time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery reliabilityVSAvoiddetection and response time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The detection section performs preliminary detection of road surface obstacles before the device reaches them. The control section receives advance information about obstacle types (grooves or steps) and pre-calculates the appropriate traversal direction, allowing the device to respond quickly and reliably without excessive detection and response time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4235335B1Automatic moving device and control method for automatic moving device
Publication Date: 2024.12.18 FUJI CORP
  • EP4235335B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4235335B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4235335B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An automatic moving device according to the present disclosure is an automatic moving device that is used in a delivery system for delivering an article and automatically moves the article. The automatic moving device includes a driving section configured to drive a wheel, a detection section configured to detect an obstacle of a road surface, and a control section configured to control the driving section so that the automatic moving device is moved in an oblique direction with respect to a groove when the groove is detected as the obstacle of the road surface, and control the driving section so that the automatic moving device is moved in a direction orthogonal to a step when the step is detected as the obstacle of the road surface.